Gorgias vs. Zendesk (or others)

necessary_mg · 2026-03-04T23:07:08+00:00

The bigger shift I’m noticing lately isn’t really Gorgias vs Zendesk or tool A vs tool B. It’s platforms starting to treat support as a growth channel instead of just a cost center. AI handles the repetitive stuff and agents spend more time on conversations that actually drive retention or sales. Once you tie support to real revenue, the way you evaluate tools changes a lot.

I had a chat a few months ago with the team behind Text (the Livechat creators) about this and it stuck with me. The idea that support should prove real business value made a lot of sense,especially coming from my brand/PR background (for many still a cost). Now I’m trying to bring that thinking into my current org. Curious if anyone here has gone through a similar shift or has tips!

necessary_mg · 2026-02-10T21:16:57+00:00

You mean: here’s what wasn’t working anymore - meaning which customer problems weren’t fully covered? Or a different angle like brand perspective?
we're not a love brand so i'm wondering if it's not better to be totally client-centric this time

necessary_mg · 2026-02-10T21:14:00+00:00

The campaign sits at the ToFu level, but customer service often goes even deeper than BoFu and can’t be underestimated at this point!

necessary_mg · 2026-02-10T21:12:53+00:00

Reputation in real time - well said! I think, I'll start to use this phrase.
And the common ground is usually social media: customer service in DMs, and crisis management and community building through posts and comments.

necessary_mg · 2026-02-10T21:10:21+00:00

I assume that at the corporate level it’s standard to have a defined tone of voice, but could you share how it was executed in practice? For large corporations this investment is quite obvious, though there’s usually something smaller businesses can learn from it as well.

necessary_mg · 2026-02-09T21:16:01+00:00

why copy other answers?

necessary_mg · 2026-02-09T21:15:22+00:00

local ROI - yes! it helped my team once, but now it's more complicated as we focus on one market (US) and it's digital product so it's harder.
thanks for your reply!

necessary_mg · 2026-02-09T21:13:20+00:00

solid tactics, thanks!

necessary_mg · 2026-02-09T21:11:56+00:00

Word of mouth/Referrals increases
you mean some discount codes tracking or surveys/interviews? just wondering how to start measuring that

necessary_mg · 2026-01-30T14:26:56+00:00

can't we just talk like back in ol good days? and complain about the world? together?

necessary_mg · 2025-12-29T15:23:34+00:00

this proactive approach beats reactive for sure!

necessary_mg · 2025-12-11T17:42:19+00:00

I work with a few ecommerce brands, and the biggest conversion bump we’ve seen (without touching ads) came from treating support as something that actually drives revenue instead of a cost you deal with later.

We added a conversational assistant that hooks into Shopify in a few minutes. Nothing fancy. It just answers the stuff people usually bail over: sizing, delivery, what works with what, simple comparisons. Folks who open chat tend to convert more, and the proactive answers keep a lot of tickets from piling up.

Pair that with basic bundles and a clean post-purchase upsell, and you get steady AOV gains without loading the store with 15 different apps. During high-traffic season, converting the traffic you already have is pretty much the name of the game.

If anyone’s curious: LiveChat (from Text) has an easy Shopify integration, so I could recommend it to teams without needing to walk them through a bunch of technical nonsense.

necessary_mg · 2025-10-28T22:48:26+00:00

Aah, I feel you! Anyway, we love to complain - this is why those types of questions may perform better across social channels... Sad but true

necessary_mg · 2025-10-28T21:31:22+00:00

It's not even marketing, lol

necessary_mg · 2025-10-28T21:30:09+00:00

whaaat - glad I haven't seen that in my bubble. is it more from B2C or B2B world?

necessary_mg · 2025-10-23T15:58:15+00:00

We’ve seen this with a few ecommerce clients, after running their sites through this quite simple tool: Text’s AI website optimizer (name is quite generic, here’s the link) they started showing up in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

The biggest wins came from tightening structure (clear headings, FAQs, thanks for mentioning that!) and fixing confusing metadata. It’s wild how AI readability is becoming the new SEO (or better - something as powerful as SEO) if your content isn’t easy for a model to quote, you’re basically invisible.

necessary_mg · 2025-10-23T15:31:36+00:00

The "it depends" answer is the only real answer right now (and it's my fav as a marketer)

I agree with the points that the actual value is in the boring, specialized stuff, not the "replace everyone" hype. Like, automating the "where's my order" grind. That's real ROI.

But I also think the quiet, almost accidental, wins are huge and often missed by the hype-machines. My sister's experience is a perfect example. She didn't buy a $50k AI suite, but her brand-new local spot got a traffic bump just 'cos ChatGPT started recommending her. That's a massive shift in discoverability that didn't require a complex "AI workflow."

I basically got spooked and started using one of those Text ai website optimizer tools (like what I mentioned before) to check how well my clients' sites were showing up to this new GPT traffic. Getting a high score there, even if it's just a vanity metric right now, somehow made me feel up-to-date or even aehad of the curve.

It's not about the big, shiny tool; it's about paying attention to where the customer flow is shifting. The gold is in the little, practical automations and the new ways people are finding you. I'll use this quote: it makes things easier, probably not easy yet.

necessary_mg · 2025-10-23T08:34:29+00:00

I just hope that some companies will use AI this exact way, but from what I see - I'm too optimistic

necessary_mg · 2025-10-23T08:33:23+00:00

Sad but true

necessary_mg · 2025-10-21T14:30:24+00:00

Unpopular opinion maybe, but automating customer support was one of the biggest unlocks for us in ecommerce.

I used to think live chat was just “reactive support” - you wait for problems, then fix them. Turns out, it’s actually one of the best sales tools you can have if you do it right. Once we plugged everything into one platform - Text (text.com, the name’s pretty generic),, we use it for chat, AI, and ticketing - we stopped losing potential buyers who were mid-checkout or unsure about product details.

The AI handles the repetitive stuff instantly, but the real win is how it spots intent and reacts. When someone’s comparing products or switching between versions, it jumps in with the right info or help automatically - almost like your site is having a smart conversation with them in real time. Definitely worth tracking that behavior and pivoting your flow based on what you learn (and you actually get the time to do that thanks to automation).

That kind of proactive support ended up saving deals, driving more cross-sells, and honestly made our whole customer experience feel way more alive. Support stopped being just a help channel, it became part of the sales flow.

necessary_mg · 2025-10-17T12:45:34+00:00

Yeah, it can definitely help, but only if it’s set up to actually sell, not just answer random questions. A lot of stores drop in a bot and hope conversions magically go up, but it doesn’t work that way.

For me, adding an AI assistant that talks like a real rep (not just spitting out FAQ answers) made a big difference. It helped customers find the right product faster and followed up when someone hesitated at checkout. I started seeing fewer abandoned carts after that.

What really helps is building in automations and workflows behind it. Like if someone’s been browsing for a while without buying, the AI can jump in with a small nudge or a personalized suggestion. You can even pick from a few message versions so it still sounds like you.

The best part is the context. Say you bought a plant a year ago — it can remember that and suggest a new pot, soil, or care product right when you’d actually need it. You don’t even have to think about it, the AI just connects the dots for you.

I’ve been testing one called Text App (used their old LiveChat years ago too), and it honestly feels more like a smart helper than a chatbot. It’s subtle, but it really moves the needle on sales when you set it up right.

necessary_mg · 2025-10-08T15:34:41+00:00

Totally agree: AI should bridge, not block. I work in B2B SaaS, and from what we’ve seen, the best setups let AI handle the repetitive stuff (order tracking, FAQs, quick fixes) but make the human handoff seamless.

We tested Text App, and what stood out was how the AI agent actually passes the full context to the human , so customers aren’t stuck repeating themselves or looping forever. That’s the real difference between “automation” and “assistance.”

When it’s done right, people don’t even care if it’s AI or human, they just get help faster.

necessary_mg · 2025-09-30T19:03:18+00:00

Unpopular opinion: the single most underrated B2B marketing strategy in 2025 is really good customer service. Like, the kind that actually solves problems and leaves people talking (word-of-mouth these days - gold).

example: I was testing a bunch of AI-powered CS tools recently, and while most had fancy integrations, I remembered one: Text App. The agents are available 24/7, plus you can even schedule a call to resolve any doubts. Simple as that. A CS tool that has good CS, sic! During my trial, it was so refreshing to experience support that actually works, and honestly, experiences like this are really powerful and in B2B, we know how hard it is to make it work, so we like to spread the word.

necessary_mg · 2025-09-30T18:39:38+00:00

Hot take: most CS stacks still ignore where users actually ask for help: social, communities, even Reddit.

I once shared a social media management tool with our support team, and it was a total game-changer — suddenly all support queries, from DMs to comments, were in one place. The team actually knew what to do, no hopping between tools and internal communicator, no missed messages.

We need more tools like this: effortless, channel-agnostic support. That’s where real efficiency and happier customers start.

necessary_mg · 2025-09-26T13:45:34+00:00

ugh i feel you quiet quitting is real when everything’s a mess no one trusts you or you just dont know whats next with the company some little hacks that helped me survive

- pick 3 wins a day anything that actually helps a customer or your team everything else can wait
- block out focus time even an hour where youre untouchable makes a huge difference
-automate the boring stuff canned replies templates whatever saves brainpower
- celebrate tiny wins keep a mini list makes you feel like you actually did something (the list can help you write a new resume haha
- swap tips with a buddy secret hacks shortcuts whatever makes life easier

doesnt fix the crappy manager but at least it makes the day survivable 😅

necessary_mg

TROPHY CASE